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m5790 - Almost There

post #1 of 9
3/27/07 at 5:55pm
Thread Starter 
Hopefully I'll be ready to bite the bullet soon and order an m5790, but first I need some advice on whether to upgrade the processor or the video card. I can either upgrade from a 1.83GHz processor to 2.16 or I can upgrade from an X1800 to an X1900 card. This far I've been leaning towards the X1900 (when ATI decides tog et off their asses and release drivers for it I'm sure it'll blow away the non-SLI competition), but I just want to be sure I won't be losing too much in the processing department.
I'll be doing a reasonable amount of multitasking on this machine, but nothing heavy. It'll be running several IM programs, IE and Word at once. On occasion I'll watch a DVD on top of that. But most importantly this thing will be running CSS several hours a day, and probably some BF2, 2142, WoW, Halo and STALKER on the weekends. I'm also hoping to pick up Crysis when it releases, and all these things make me lean towards the X1900 over the 2.16GHz processor.

I'd appreciate any suggestions or advice you can give.
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post #2 of 9
3/27/07 at 6:13pm
Just curious... would you be planning to do the other upgrade later?

AW warranty is voided by customer cpu upgrades, but I'm pretty sure it's not with vid card upgrades.

And what are the costs of upgrading later comparitively?

I'd personally bite the bullet and wait until I could afford both...
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post #3 of 9
3/27/07 at 6:19pm
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...chInDesc=t7400

You might be able to upgrade your processor for cheaper from NewEgg, but as Hammerhead said, it will void your warranty.

The x1800 with a 2.16 performs pretty well. I can play Guild Wars at 1920x1200, settings maxed out, and I get a steady 50fps.

But I'm not sure how it will stand up to STALKER and Crysis. The x1900 will definitely handle games better.
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post #4 of 9
3/27/07 at 7:57pm
Yeah if you want to play Crysis or Stalker at the highest settings then get the X1900. The X1900 will play all games at max settings except some. You'll be able to play every game at medium settings. It matters what resolution your gonna be playing the games at. The 2.16 ghz CPU will handle all of your multitasking needs easily. The 5790 is a great laptop for you!
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post #5 of 9
3/29/07 at 3:15pm
Thread Starter 
Alienware finally brought back the 2.0GHz processor, which is a great price/performance tradeoff, and I can get it with the X1900. :bananadance:

My final specs:

Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T7200 2.0GHz 4MB Cache 667MHz FSB
Operating System (Office software not included): Genuine Windows® Vista Home Premium - Without Remote Control or TV Tuner
Display: 17" WideUXGA 1920 x 1200 LCD - Saucer Silver
Motherboard: Alienware® Intel® 945PM + ICH7 Chipset
Memory: 1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 667MHz - 2 x 512MB (I'll be getting 2GB from Crucial)
System Drive: Extreme Performance (RAID 0) - 200GB (100GB x 2) Serial ATA 1.5Gb/s 7,200 RPM w/ NCQ & 8MB Cache
Primary CD ROM/DVD ROM: 8x Dual Layer CD-RW/DVD±RW w/ Nero Software
Video/Graphics Card: 256MB ATI Mobility™ Radeon® X1900

I'm still on the fence about a spare battery and the mini-remote. A 17 inch screen is the largest screen I'll have had the opportunity to own thusfar, so I can only imagine it'll become even more of an entertainment center than my 15.4 inch was, as to the remote.
My laptop pretty much sits on my desk all the time. When it does move it is almost always plugged in. But for the occasional DVD while traveling, and maybe school, I don't want to be caught off-guard...

Thanks for your input guys!
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post #6 of 9
3/29/07 at 4:51pm
I love it! They keep on upgrading the m5790! The new wireless card, and now the 2.0GHz, two things that will greatly improve my computing experience. Seems like I'll just HAVE to go with one now..
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post #7 of 9
3/29/07 at 7:41pm
Thread Starter 
Phase 1...
http://www.notebookforums.com/post2597966.html
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post #8 of 9
3/29/07 at 8:09pm
Very nice specs and congrats!
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post #9 of 9
4/1/07 at 6:24pm
I don't wanna rain on your parade but are you sure that an x1900 can run Crysis at max settings? I've seen that game and it's a beast I don't even think the 7950GTX could handle it that's why like DX10 is a must for that game.
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